About this Collection

The Louisiana Purchase is a landmark event in American history, one that had
a lasting impact not only on the size of the United States, but also on its
economic, cultural, and political makeup. Before President Thomas
Jefferson's administration purchased the territory in 1803, parts or all of
the territory had been under the control of various Native American
nations. From the 16th century onwards the Spanish and later the
French controlled the territory.

This presentation focuses on the various documents from
maps to newspapers to cultural artifact that help to
describe the region of North America that stretched from as far east as Alabama
into what is now the state of Montana. The 119 items
presented here come from the various special and general collections of the
Library of Congress.

In order to effectively tell the story of the acquisition of Louisiana by
the United States of America from France in 1803 it is necessary to use
research materials from throughout the vast holdings of the Library of
Congress. The Library of Congress holds extensive resources that permit a
thorough study of the major land acquisition in United States' history.
This online presentation is intended to alert the researcher of the rich
variety of research materials that are represented in the collections of the
Library of Congress that provide contemporary sources that address a number of
issues surrounding the inclusion of Louisiana into the nation. The Louisiana
Purchase event, and its immediate impact, had a profound affect on the history
of the United States; the extent of its importance in United States'
history can be seen in the books, newspapers, music, images, letters, and maps
of the era. Only with an examination of all of these types of materials can a
picture of the full importance of the Louisiana Purchase be understood, not
only for the United States, but also for the diversity of cultures who became a
part of the emerging nation at the time of the Louisiana Territory
acquisition.

The 119 items selected here are from the Geography & Map, the Rare Book
and Special Collections, the Manuscript, the Prints & Photographs, the
Serial & Government Publications, and the Music Divisions, and from the
general book collections of the Library of Congress. The selection was made by
Geography & Map Division's Senior Reference Librarian Michael Klein
while he was preparing his essay Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase. The
items Mr. Klein has identified represent highlights from the Library's rich
holdings of early Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century materials and draw upon
items from a variety of media, including published monographs, manuscript
documents, letters, and maps.

This presentation was made possible by a grant from the Library of Congress
Krasnoff Gift Fund.